On Saturday 8 August over 180 people gathered in the parish of St Stephen’s Lewisham to give thanks for 150 years of faithful ministry in the parish. During the celebratory Mass the Bishop of Fulham hallowed a new icon of St Stephen. The icon was written by Aidan Hart and shows St Stephen holding the church in his hands. The icon had, for two weeks, travelled to different homes in the parish where prayers had been said for the mission and ministry of the church. The anniversary was also commemorated with a new anthem, ‘First of Martyrs’, composed by the church’s director of music, David Lloyd. During his homily the preacher, Fr Nicolas Spicer SSC (Provincial Master of the Society of the Holy Cross) reminded the congregation that whilst looking to the past and remembering, they must look also to the future and to new ways to serve the community and the church. We were, he said, to seek to flourish and grow, aided by the prayers of St Stephen as our patron. It was wonderful to be able to welcome local politicians and community workers to the service, including Heidi Alexander MP. It was truly a family affair with in some cases four generations of families from the parish there to celebrate God’s blessings in their lives.
